Fateful Discoveries
by SykoBeevr
Summary: Primarily a Tiberian SunStarCraft crossover, with elements of Red Alert for fun and justification.
1. Prologue

I know I should be over working on Dark Vengeance, but I had this idea last night and couldn't help starting it. 

August 28, 2030

Nod Commander's Log, Anton Slavik

The threat posed by the treasonous Cabal has been put down with assistance from GDI. It disgusts me that the alliance was necessary, but we had no choice. Kane's vision must not die. I've grown frustrated with the state of the Brotherhood. Something must be done to rally them. If GDI weren't licking their wounds, they'd surely be decimating our forces. 

I've initiated a series of exploration/excavation programs to keep the men busy as much as in the hopes of actually finding anything.

End of Entry

***

Letter to Soth residence, Umoja.

Dear Mom and Dad,

It's been incredible working with the Protectorate. I've seen so much, and have really grown to love space. Of course, a lot is changing with the Zerg and Protoss appearing so suddenly. The Confederates seem to be taking the brunt of it, but I can't shake the feeling that something big is going to happen back home. Oh well. I'll see you as soon as my C.O. gives me a break.

Love,

Alex


	2. No Title

Somewhere in the tiberium-laden borders of the United States stood a once prosperous city. As was the case with many such places in these times, it had become home only to tiberium mutants. The "shiners" however were unaware of some uninvited guests.

"Preparing blast. All personnel behind barriers." The warning had the Nod light infantry in efficient movement. Moments later, a thundering explosion decimated the upper levels of a towering building.

"Good," Anton Slavik said, "Now it shouldn't collapse under its own weight. Move in." Slavik watched as the recon team moved to search the structure. Perhaps they would actually find something. Of course, considering their failure rate so far, it was incredibly unlikely. Some time had passed and he was about to call them back when muffled curses and shouts of surprise drifted out from within. A lone soldier emerged. "Report." 

"Sir, we found something."

"What is it?"

The man paused. "We have no idea. We've never seen anything like it."

Slavik followed him in, wondering what the discovery was. He wasn't at all expecting what he saw; a massive hemispherical structure half-buried in the building's foundation. It was humming with power.

***

The Protectorate cruiser _Davis_ temporarily rested deep in Confederate space. Besides the obvious, Alex knew something was wrong. Still being relatively young-the youngest on the ship, in fact-he never quite knew why he got such distinct hunches, or why they were usually right. He'd discussed it once with his parents and some friends. His shaken father ordered him never to mention it to anyone else. Ever.

_Knock, knock._

He glanced at the door to his quarters. "Who is it?"

"Alexander? This is Lieutenant Marks."

"Just a moment, sir." Alex got up and saluted as he opened the door.

The lieutenant returned the salute. "At ease. The captain wanted me to relay his acknowledgements of your exceptional service, and his thanks."

"Thank you, sir." The lieutenant left and Alex sat back on his bunk. _Well that was a surprise._

Yeah, wasn't it?

"What the-?" Alex felt the blow across his face just before he blacked out. The figure standing next to the bed seemed to appear out of the air, his masked features looking down at Alex.

The captain walked in followed by a Confederate official. "You can have him for your blasted program, but if he's ever used in Protectorate space-or any of your freaks for that matter-I will personally take it out of your hide."

The official merely smiled pleasantly. "Don't worry, Captain. We rarely use our ghosts outside of Confederate space. Besides, with the recent…turbulence in the outlying colonies, most of our eyes will be turned inward for a while."

The captain didn't like it, but he couldn't disobey orders.

***

After digging out the fairly massive construct, Slavik had ordered it airlifted to Nod's most secure installation. He'd immediately set their best engineers and technicians to work on it. As the lights flickered again, he recalled the one thing they'd learned almost immediately; it used insane amounts of power. 

Several days later, Slavik sat in his personal control room as the chief tech approached. 

"Report."

"Sir, we think we know what it does. We discovered a recording that seemed to explain what it is and how it got where it was. It's really amazing."

"Well, what is it?"

"It is a sort of spatial/temporal transport device. It's called a Chronosphere."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. We've transmitted the recording to you."

On command, the screen in front of him came to life. He saw a fairly young scientist type, clearly frightened.

"This is Chrono Outpost A-3, Germany. We've come under heavy Soviet attack. They're after the Chronosphere! We can't hold them off much longer, so we're going to take a risk. We're going to try to randomly chronoshift the device itself. We don't know if it will work, and if it does, I have no idea where it will end up. We've also removed the return programming. Wherever it's going, it's there to stay."

As the recording ended, Slavik leaned back, trying to take in the implications. _Alternate timelines…instant travel through space and time…endless possibilities._ A smile crept onto his face. _Eliminate GDI before it exists, spread tiberium to other worlds, other times, other universes! Endless possibilities…_


	3. No Title

There's a slight error to mend

There's a slight error to mend. In the prologue, the date on Slavik's log should be in 2031. (The StarCraft part of things takes place during the game…whenever that is…)

Deep among the dark halls of a heavily fortified Nod facility, Commander Slavik met with the base's chief engineer as he'd been doing for several weeks. Initially, their lack of progress had been severely frustrating. Despite knowing what the so-called Chronosphere did, their progress in making it work had been going very slowly. Noticing that Slavik was staring somewhat aimlessly, the engineer spoke up. 

"Sir, we believe we know how to at least partially exploit the Chronosphere's abilities."

"Partially?"

"Yes. We are reasonably certain we can utilize its transport capacity in the spatial plane at the moment, but have yet to have any known success temporally. Also, what we can do is limited, for the moment, only to Earth itself. The possible potential could theoretically extend into other parts of the solar system, or the galaxy for that matter, but we have had no successes in pursuing those hypotheses."

"Your explanation is riddled with uncertainties. Can we be sure that the spatial transport is operating successfully?"

"Yes sir. We've used it on several remote probes, sending them to known coordinates, and joining our efforts with other bases."

"Very good. Any success with biologicals?" 

The engineer hesitated.

"Well?"

"Unknown, sir. We haven't actually tested that aspect yet…"

"Then it is time you do so. Select an expendable man from a less experienced unit and send him through to the nearest base. Have them report when he arrives."

"Yes, sir. Anything else?"

"I want to be there to oversee the test. Let me know when it is time."

"Of course, Commander."

"Dismissed."

***

Alex woke up dazed in an unfamiliar, shadowy room. Other than the cot he was on, the room only had a small light and a rather prominent speaker set into one corner of the walls. _Great. So where am I?_

"Alexander Soth." The voice came from the speaker.

"Yeah, and who are you? Why am I here? Where is here?"

"In time, Alex. You are very important to us. You are perhaps the most powerfully gifted psionic-capable Terran bornin history."

"Psionic? What's that mean?"

"We understand you've lived something of a sheltered life on Umoja. This is understandable. Only a few Terrans, relatively speaking, have ever had psionic capabilities."

"But what is it?"

"What we refer to as psionics are those who possess telepathy, and in a few rare cases telekinesis."

"Wait, hold on. I'm a telepath?"

"Yes."

"I can read people's minds?"

"Yes. And we intend for you to become a 'ghost'."

"A ghost? You're Confederates! Oh, no way. I'm not doing this!"

"You don't have much choice, Alex."

"You can't make me do this!" The door shook.

"Calm yourself, Alex."

"I won't do this!" A shudder ran through the walls.

Gas vents opened up, and the air rapidly filled with their cloud-like emanations. Alex fell back onto the bed, unconscious.

***

Anton Slavik stepped into an excessively bright room. A dull hum permeated the walls. The room itself expanded on for quite some way in every direction. Taking up most of the subterranean room was the massive Chronosphere. The large hemispherical front had pulled back, exposing a pulsing, flashing core. 

"Is it ready?" he asked the nearest engineer.

"Just about sir. It's nearly finished charging. The subject has already been moved into place."

Slavik approached the head engineer. "Proceed as soon as you're ready."

"Very well, sir. In case you have not been told, we decided to send another probe along with the subject."

"Will that affect the device's performance?"

"We do not believe so, sir."

Slavik considered for a moment, just as the machine finished its preparation. "Alright. Proceed."

"Input start coordinates." Shouted the engineer.

"Done."

"Input destination."

"Done."

"Everyone clear of the affect radius! Behind the barriers!" He waited a few moments for all of the personnel to comply. "Activate chronoshift!"

Slavik was forced to squint as a bright flash of light filled the room. A series of heavy doors closed, blocking the light. On a nearby screen, he saw that the test subject was surrounded by some sort of energy bubble. A few moments later, the bubble dissipated.

"Contact the Siberia base." One of the engineers carried out the order. The local base commander came onto a large comm screen. "Have the subjects arrived?"

"Sir, only the probe is here. The soldier did not arrive."

"Reopen those doors. I want to know where he is." 

The doors lumbered open and all watching saw what was left of the test subject.

The chief engineer came up to Slavik's side. "It would seem that the chronoshifting process has a…negative affect on living subjects, sir."

"Can this be countered?"

"Possibly."

"Do it. Or you will be the next test subject." Thoroughly annoyed, Slavik walked off. 


	4. No Title

Slavik stood before a large room packed wall to wall with Nod soldiers.He'd been in this position before.Standing on a platform, a massive screen behind him, he was about to make yet another momentous announcement to the Brotherhood.

"Brotherhood!Today I bring you news of the utmost importance!We are transmitting to every base and outpost under Nod control because today marks the single most important day in history!Today Nod is guaranteed victory over GDI!"He waited for the enthused cheers to die down."For too long now, we have been on the defensive-first against GDI, then Cabal.Now that is all going to change.At long last we have a weapon that will give us the world, and finally bring about Kane's dream!"

Behind him, the screen went to a direct feed from the facility holding the Chronosphere."The image you see is of our new weapon.With it, we can transport any of our forces anywhere in the world in seconds!From now on, there will be no more battles attempting to break past GDI defenses.We will simply appear within the very heart of all of their major bases and destroy them from within!At long last we will be victorious!"At this point, the mass of soldiers was practically mad with enthusiasm.They simply needed one more thing to assure their commitment to this endeavor."In the name of Kane!" Slavik shouted.

"KANE LIVES IN DEATH!"The words echoed across the world, as if their fallen leader himself were reaching across from the grave…

***

"Alexander…"

"Alex…"

Alex abruptly sat up on the cot.He looked around at the empty, blank room.The last several days came back to him in a rush.They seemed to be studying him, whoever "they" were.As far as he could tell, there was something about himself that they weren't sure about.As if he could be potentially dangerous to them.He decided to try an experiment of his own.He glanced down at one of the cot's legs.He'd been trying to take it off, partially to pass time, partially for a potential weapon.Now he had other ideas.

He gripped the leg, and put all of his willpower into pulling it.It came free with ease.That started to confirm his suspicions.He threw himself against the nearest wall, and started hitting his legs with the cot leg.He concentrated on finding the hidden camera he knew had to be there, heard a small explosion, and continued his self-punishment.

As predicted, a guard came charging in.Alex glared at him, trying to send him a mental command.Things apparently didn't go quite as planned since the guard dropped dead.Alex grabbed his gun and charged out of the room.Instantly he knew he was on a Battle Cruiser, but that didn't help him much.He needed an escape vehicle.Turning a corner, he ran into a small group of fully suited marines.Focusing his frustration caused them all to be thrown against the walls with enough force that Alex heard their bones crunching.

He ducked into a small room for a moment to collect his thoughts.His memory called up a floor plan of the average cruiser, searching for the hangars.After a few moments, he remembered the general direction, so headed off carefully.After a few more unpleasant encounters, Alex found himself in a hangar full of Wraith fighters.To his dismay, there was also just shy of a full complement of pilots.He tried to further his control over his abilities, and attempted to confuse the pilots long enough to steal a ship.

His control was minimal, and as he concentrated on working the fighter, he saw the pilots scrambling for their ships.He glared at one and essentially ripped the piloting ability from his mind.He expertly blasted his way out of the hangar, barely seeing most of the personnel being sucked into vacuum.He took a moment to look at the planet they were orbiting before shooting off for deep space.Was that Mar Sara?Couldn't be.Suddenly, he got warning of several other Wraiths on his tail.Here we go.

He pointed his nose relative down and kicked the engines to maximum.After a few seconds, he kicked it in a clockwise one-eighty.At that point, the lead enemy was exactly where he had been moments before.He launched a pair of missiles that plowed straight through the target before exploding.The flash of lasers passing the cockpit drew his attention to an enemy coming "down" from relative up.The enemy just missed colliding with Alex's engines.In response, Alex swapped end for end and gave his new target a pair of laser blasts to contemplate.The skillful pilot dodged, then veered off, trying to get the advantage again.Alex stayed on his tail, firing bursts of energy when he thought he had a decent shot.

The other pilot jumped about in Alex's field of vision, successfully dodging all of his shots.Alex's concentration proved too focused when a bad shot from behind nearly took his starboard wing off.Alex cut his engines, allowing the pursuer to shoot ahead, and placing both enemies in good targeting positions.He rolled several degrees and let fly a pair of missiles.Both projectiles hit dead on, exploding brilliantly.Luckily not many fighters got off, and he was left with only two more in his way.He started a head-to-head with the next before activating his ship's cloaking device.The other pilot veered up, unsure of what to do.Before he made the inevitable decision to activate his cloak as well, Alex settled in on his tail, and took out his engines.Alex decloaked, oriented so that the tops of the two fighters nearly touched.He cloaked again and rolled off just before the last fighter opened fire on him.Thus, the shots hit his comrade instead, destroying the front half of the ship.

Alex was about to take out the final enemy when a massive ship appeared between them.It was unlike anything he'd ever seen.Whatever it was, one thing about the mammoth ship was obvious-no Terran ever made it.Somehow, he caught a bit of some sort of transmission from the aliens, identifying themselves as "Protoss".Other Protoss ships began to appear.Just as suddenly, an entire fleet of battlecruisers arrived to defend the colony.After a brief period of tension, the aliens began to pull away.Completely confused, but drawn, Alex shot towards the nearest departing ship, searching for a place to set his craft.Several alien fighters had been deployed and were now returning home.Still cloaked, he settled in behind them, hoping there would be enough room that they wouldn't notice the unwanted guest immediately.

***

The time that passed could have been weeks or months, Slavik wasn't sure. Nod's top scientists had created several slightly smaller versions of the Chronosphere, to be placed in various bases around the world.The time necessary to prepare and charge the weapon made it impractical to have only one for the assault he had planned.At that moment, in several locations globally, the largest army Nod had ever mustered at one time stood ready.A great amount of attack cycles and buggies, as well as tick tanks, artillery, and flame tanks were preparing to be transported to key GDI bases.In addition, the researchers had discovered a way to shield infantry from the otherwise fatal effects of the chronoshift.Hoards of Nod soldiers had been outfitted with specially armored uniforms so as to be able to assist the vehicles in their attack.

Also, Slavik intended to send a group of operatives from the Black Hand of Nod on the most vital mission of all.They were to chronoshift into the heart of the orbital station _Philadelphia_ and disable its defenses.Then several squadrons of Banshee fighters would launch to destroy the station.At long last, Nod's ultimate moment of glory was at hand.All it awaited was a single word.On the console in front of him, Slavik pressed a small button.Patched through to all of the staging areas, he smiled as he uttered a mere syllable.

"Go."

Thousands of miles away, a team of Nod troops appeared in a GDI base in the Antarctic.The light infantry transported to the interior of the construction yard eliminated their GDI counterparts and began setting explosives.Simultaneously, cycles and tanks blasted their way out of the war factory and tech center.A pair of deployed artillery rained death upon the perimeter defenses as flame tanks wiped out the confused infantry.

From an underground bunker came a test model of the Mammoth Mk. II.The decimated GDI forces rallied behind it and several Titan mechs.The Mammoth's twin rail guns obliterated the stationary artillery, while the Titans attempted to fend off the attacking cycles.A pair of smaller Wolverine-class mechs fell prey to the team that had destroyed the construction yard.From the distance, a trio of Orca fighters-the remnants of a squadron that came under immediate attack-harried the Tick Tanks before a squad of rocket troopers appeared on the scene.The troops' rockets ate through the Orcas in moments.The Mammoth managed to lumber its way through much o the attacking force-at the expense of it's Titan defenders-until finally, Nod transported in a carefully reprogrammed Cyborg Commando.The Commando's incredibly powerful arm gun made short work of the weakened Mammoth.In little time, the base was flaming rubble.

The scenario was repeated almost exactly in every one of GDI's major bases.The Initiative had no idea as to how Nod had managed the feat.Finally, Slavik decided to strike the final blow.From the original Chronosphere in his own base, a hand picked contingent of Black Hand troops was transported up to the _Philadelphia._Immediately, the Nod commander opened a line to the helipad area."All Banshee fighters on alert.Be prepared for Operation Omega at my signal."He set up a link with the nearest satellite so he could watch the destruction when it occurred. 

Transported straight to the heart of the station, the infiltrators had little to do.They rapidly silenced all nearby infantry, making sure that none raised an alarm.They went to work on the power and defense systems.Implanting viruses that would completely shut down all target systems after a set period of time, they gathered to defend their position.The leader sent the signal and they waited for the inevitable.

At the signal, Slavik ordered all Banshees to launch.The sleek, disk shaped craft lifted from their stations and soared off on their mission.

Slavik sent a message to General Solomon."What do you want, Slavik?"

"Only what Nod has always wanted.I am fulfilling Kane's dream."

"You're a madman."

"Perhaps.But in moments, you'll be a dead man.Which is better?"

"We'll see about that."Solomon ordered his men to activate the station defenses.At that moment, the Black Hand's viruses kicked in.

"Sir," said one officer, "Our defenses are down.Nod has uploaded a virus into the system.We can't stop it!"

The radar officer then spoke up."Sir, we have several dozen Nod Banshees on attack vector!"

"What?!"

Slavik laughed."Didn't I tell you, General?We've won.GDI is finished.The world belongs to us, and the future belongs to the tiberium age.Goodbye General."

"_Slavik!!!_"

The smiling, victorious commander watched as his fighters opened fire on the _Philadelphia._The green-hued blasts of energy impacted on all sides, transforming into blossoming explosions.Finally, his Black Hand operatives carried out their last order.He watched as the bottommost area of the station was obliterated in one massive explosion.As the Banshees finished their work, several missiles from the surface vaporized the hollow shell that was left in their wake.

"In the name of Kane…"

My apologies to GDI fans.It had to be done for the sake of the story.But fear not, GDI is still around.Think of this as the two sides switching places.Where GDI was dominant and Nod was the upstart, now the opposite is true.Besides, GDI still has a role to play…

-SykoBeevr


	5. No Title

Alex woke up in the cell, somewhat confused.All he could remember of the last few days was the last cell he was in aboard the Terran battlecruiser.This one was nothing like its predecessor.The walls were of a metal he'd never seen.There was something more, though.There was some sense in the room that was somehow both oppressive and astoundingly open.He had no idea how to describe it.

The only door opened and in walked all he needed to return his memory to him.Whatever it was, it stood well over his height.Its oval head was covered in a pebbled, grayish skin, as were its three-fingered hands.Aside from its yellow armor, what stood out the most were its golden glowing eyes.Alex then remembered landing in the Protoss hangar and being immediately noticed despite his ship's cloaking device.The Protoss, while not cruel in any way, had immediately put him in what he assumed to be a holding cell.He wasn't sure how long he'd been in there, but they'd seemed to be studying him the whole time.

At long last, the Protoss in front of him spoke…in a way.

"I am Arathes," the words formed in his mind, "I apologize for holding you here for so long, but we needed time to learn your language, and understand you."

"Understand me?"

"From what little we have learned, Terrans are not normally psionic in nature-they cannot read or project thoughts as we Protoss do.You, however seem to be extremely strong psionically.As strong, in fact as some of our best warriors."

_That could be useful to know._ "So what are you going to do with me now?"

"If our information is correct, you are from the Terran group known as the Umojan Protectorate?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Your people, unlike those of the Confederacy, seek to learn from us and create peaceful relations."

"So you won't kill me?

"Hardly.We want you to be our…liaison is it?"

"Will I get to go home again?"

"After a time.We will need to train you, of course, and teach you our ways.This is so that we will be able to better understand each other.Also you will teach us about your people.Then you will occasionally travel between your world and Aiur."

"Aiur?"

"Aiur is our homeworld.It is a beautiful place.We are very proud of it."

"We have something in common already…"Alex started to seriously consider the proposition.What were his other options? Go back to the Confederacy?Go back to Umoja alone?That would only end him back with the Confederates if the Protectorate ever found out.Wandering space didn't seem pleasant.Or they could just space him…

"You would teach me to better use my abilities?"

"Of course.It would help our learning process greatly."If the Protoss could have smiled, Alex guessed, he would have.

"What the hell.Why not?"

Arathes looked at him as quizzically as a Protoss could.

"Just an expression.I'll work with you.When do we start?"

"As soon as you're ready."

Months passed as the Protoss ship wandered space.Their leader apparently had allowed them to break off from the main fleet.Considering that the race tended to live for several hundred years, mere months were of no consequence to them.Alex's abilities grew to such power that even the ship's resident High Templars grew to respect him.He even gained an honorary role among the sect.Alex became so powerful in fact that he found he could, in staged tests, read Terran thoughts without the subject having any inkling he was there.All the while, though, he couldn't shake the feeling he had first gotten just before his kidnapping.At first he assumed it was directed by that event, but since it persisted even afterwards, he became concerned about his newfound "friends".And yet he sensed no malicious intent from them.It was a curious matter, but something he'd have to put aside for the moment.For now, he had to prepare to head home…


	6. No Title

"This had better be good," Anton Slavik threatened as he walked into the research area.

"I believe you will be pleased," the nervous tech was almost visibly trembling as Slavik glared at him.The Nod commander was never known as the most stable of men. "We have found signs that the Chronosphere could potentially be used for purposes greater than those for which we have applied it."

"Spare me the senseless rambling.What have you found?"

"We believe-and again keep in mind that at this stage it is only theoretical-that we can open a rift, if you will, into another, alternate universe."

"That could be useful.With the earth all but ours, we will still be in need of broader endeavors.Something to unite the planetary population behind our cause.Can it really be done?"

"We believe…"

"Can it really be done?"

"…Yes."

"Good.I'm placing you in charge of the project.I expect results within the month."

"Yes sir."The tech was on the verge of outright panic.

"Give me regular status reports.We have only one more major obstacle in our way.It's time we took Hammerfest."

***

Several years passed rather quickly for Alex as he learned about his abilities from his Protoss allies.He still amazed them with his incredible natural power.He lost track of how many times he defeated even High Templars in combat training.As far as he knew, his power was only surpassed by that of the legendary Archons.

At long last, it was time to return home…

The Protoss carrier dropped out of warp space over Umoja.It was decided that the Protoss ambassador would be Alex's friend, Arathes.The duo boarded a shuttle and went down to the surface.There they met with a surprise.Expecting to see the leadership of the Protectorate, the out-of-touch companions found that the entire Terran sector had fallen under the command of the new Terran Dominion.They sent up a message to the commander of their vessel regarding the unexpected development.Meanwhile, Alex was finally reunited with his parents.After a round of hugs and tears, he filled them in.

"We ran into some trouble with the Confederates and ended up in the middle of a confrontation with the Protoss.I was in a cloaked Wraith at the time, so I docked with one of their ships because I felt drawn to them.They taught me how to use my psionic abilities."

"Psi…" his father started, "then you know?"

"Now, yes.And I understand your reasons for not telling me.So what's this Dominion?"

"Another alien race, the Zerg, attacked the Confederate capitol.Then Arcturus Mengsk formed the Dominion and declared himself Emperor."

"Mengsk?As in the Sons of Korhal?"

"Yes.He's actually done a decent job of it."

Suddenly, Alex's expression turned extremely solemn."What is it?" his mother asked.

"I'm not sure.Wait here."He went to the spot where the Protoss commander's shuttle was landing.After the gray alien disembarked, Alex approached."En taro Adun, Commander."

"En taro Adun, Alexander."

"Sir, there is something wrong here.Can you feel it?"

The tall alien stared off into empty space, deeply focused."It cannot be…"

"What is it?" Alex's ignorance of the cause frustrated him immensely."What's wrong?"

"A Zerg Cerebrate is here…" an angered edge entered his voice as he turned to the Dominion's representatives, "And you knew…"

Just then the ground exploded with a Zerg horde, the fractured pavement showing a fully developed creep growing beneath.

"We have been deceived!" the commander shouted.

A hydralisk burst up directly beneath him, throwing him into the air.He soared directly into the jaws of a waiting guardian and was promptly devoured.Arathes focused his power and called up a psionic storm.Destructive energy rained down on the growing swarm.Zerglings exploded and hydralisks were slaughtered by the dozens.Mutalisks flew in shrieking.Alex summoned winds so forceful that the winged beasts were torn to pieces.

The few Protoss zealots standing guard waded into the fray, psionic blades flashing.Pieces of Zerg beasts fell as the valiant warriors enthusiastically went about their task.Newly arrived shuttles offloaded powerful reavers.The caterpillar-like machines spewed scarab drones, which created massive explosions, creating huge gaps in the Zerg lines.A number of interceptors rained down from the carrier, removing the aerial threats.Guardians that remained in flight pounded ground units relentlessly.A number of dragoons were shipped down, adding to the chaos.The spider-like exoskeletons blasted away at any Zerg foolhardy enough to get close.

Alex and Arathes worked in unison, wiping out dozens of Zerg at a time, even a number of massive ultralisks.Despite their efforts, the Zerg numbers were simply overwhelming.Even infested Terrans wreaked havoc.It became painfully clear that the Protoss forces were doomed.Alex hoped, _prayed_ that something would happen._Anything._Just then, a bright, shimmering _hole_ in space appeared in the middle of the battlefield.

"What is that?" Alex shouted.

"I do not know!" Arathes's reply could barely be heard.

The Zerg came on…

***

Slavik sat patiently in the Montauk as it burrowed deep within the earth.Behind it, he knew, several mobile stealth generators followed.His plan was fairly simple, though he knew it would still be difficult to pull off.If it succeeded, GDI would altogether cease to be a threat.Kane would have been proud.After a time, the Montauk slowed to a stop.A special team was unloaded to assist in moving the MSG's to the surface.

Several cyborgs equipped with newly developed drilling appendages began the process of digging upwards.Slavik waited patiently as special lifts were constructed and the MSG's were moved into place.The cyborgs finally broke through to the snowy surface in northern Europe, just outside of the range of Hammerfest's sensor arrays.Dropping back down, they made way for the MSG's, which were moved into place and instantly deployed.Lastly, a mobile construction vehicle was moved into place within range of the MSGs' cloaking effect.

"EVA," Slavik ordered, "initiate battle command protocols."A specialized screen came up on which Slavik could view his forces from a safe difference.A special communication link was established so that he could directly issue orders.

After deployment, the MCV began its work.Workers carefully established a small base within the effects of the MSGs, as harvesters collected tiberium carefully out of view of the GDI forces.Finally, a full-scale stealth generator was constructed.Slavik then ordered full-scale production of an attack force.Several APCs filled with troops arrived, and vehicles were both rapidly constructed and chronoshifted in.Finally, a specially trained chameleon spy was moved into position.Slavik knew that because of the vast amounts of power it used, GDI had to occasionally shut down its firestorm defense system.This coupled with the fact that there was a slight gap in their sensor array gave Nod all the opportunity it needed.

The spy moved to the edge of the sensor gap at a previously designated time.As soon as the defensive energy field went down, he darted into the interior of the base.He discreetly entered the GDI construction yard and the firestorm generator respectively, placing explosives in both.Moving out to the perimeter again, he triggered the detonations.The construction yard was completely destroyed, but the firestorm generator, as planned, was merely crippled.He then went about destroying the sensor arrays as Nod forces swarmed in to attack.The attacking force made relatively short work of the RPG and Vulcan gun emplacements. Deployed tick tanks and artillery rained heavy shells on defenses, structures, and slow moving units.Several titans were pounded into scrap at the start.

Banshees and Orcas met in the air, wreckage raining down on ground troops.Groups of infantry met in massive bloodbaths, falling almost as quickly as they clashed.A small team of wolverines blazed away at Nod rocket infantry.A pair of stealth tanks decloaked behind them and unleashed a barrage of rockets.Pieces of the wolverines scattered as the yellow mechs were obliterated.Several multi-missiles exploded over the base, wreaking even more havoc.Structures exploded violently, other simply burned away.The battle raged for hours, until Slavik saw the last of the GDI defenders die.A team of engineers was sent in to dissect whatever technology could be found, especially that of the firestorm system.Satisfied, Slavik ordered that the Montauk return to his main base.En route, he received a message from the tech that had been working on his newest project.

"Sir, we've done it!" the excited scientist was practically bursting with enthusiasm."We've managed to determine how to use the Chronosphere for inter-dimensional travel.It's amazing that the original developers stumbled onto it, if they actually did, simply by accident.Of course, we still don't know where exactly the device came from originally, but­–"

"Has it been tested?"

"Actually, we were just about to, but assumed you would like to watch."

"Then get to it."

"Yes sir."

On the Montauk's main screen, technicians scrambled, entering coordinates, checking power systems, and going about many other tasks.In the background, the Chronosphere hummed with power.Lights flashed about on its hemispherical front end.A small glimmer of light appeared in midair in the testing area.Slowly, it grew, the process taking longer that normal, simply because of the unusual nature of what they were attempting.The shimmering hole in space and time reached rather large proportions and stopped growing.Slavik's attention was riveted on the rift, wondering what would happen next.A surprised smile crept across his face as a fairly large, serpent-like creature with scythe arms emerged from the rift.His surprise turned to shock as another slithered out…and another…and another…

Soon the entire test area was filled with the bizarre monsters.A pair of them bent forward…and suddenly, sharp spines shot from them, piercing the protective barrier.The beasts swarmed into the research area, and Slavik watched as they slaughtered the technicians, and even more creatures came through…


	7. No Title

The battle waged for so long that Alex completely lost any sense of time. He failed to notice even if the sun was still up. All he knew was the bloody, savage dance in which he was engaged. Protoss reinforcements had arrived what must have been several hours before. Groups of zealots eradicated Zerg beasts by the dozens, and still the swarms came on. Dragoons skittered about and reavers meandered through the devastation they themselves created as scouts flew overhead, blasting away at the horrific mutalisks and guardians with their photon blasters. 

Carriers released wave after wave of interceptors to harass the enemy while the Zerg menace countered with suicidal scourges. The small, living bombs charged the large Protoss ships, managing to break through their shields, and effectively knocking several out of the fight. To Alex's surprise, a group of High Templars fell to a pack of extremely determined ultralisks. The massive monstrosities charged, tusks flashing, and tore the veterans to pieces. 

Alex ducked as a hydralisk nearly took his head off. Refocusing his attention at the task at hand, he managed to take control of the minds of a number of zerglings, ordering them to attack their brethren. The dog-sized creatures were obliterated quickly, but not before they managed to do a fair amount of damage to the nearby enemy ranks. Alex couldn't help but wonder if any of them were going to survive the battle. It seemed increasingly less likely. Even if they did, there was still that strange rift... 

He looked over once again to where the shimmering portal had appeared. He was surprised to see he had actually been drawn a fair distance away from it over the course of the fight, but it was still plainly there. He couldn't help wondering where it had come from. He did know hat several warriors from both sides had accidentally been thrown into it, and none had returned. What is it? His curiosity alone managed to spur on his will to survive. He turned back to the battle once again, and completely let go, disintegrating masses of Zerg fighters with his powerful psionic blasts. 

* * * 

On the screen in the Montauk, Slavik watched as his best techs were slaughtered by...what were those things? It took him a moment to get over the shock, but finally his military training kicked in. Taking communications controls, he keyed in a general alert to all Nod forces. 

"Any and all available units make way to our main North American base; it is under attack by unknown forces. Get there any way you can, I don't care if we have to Chronoshift an entire base! That facility must not fall!" Realistically, he knew it could take hours for even a single unit to reach the base, and by that time it would be far too late. But why hadn't the Chronosphere shut down as it normally would? The device drained far too much power to remain active for even as long as a few minutes. What could have been keeping it going? He ordered his lieutenant to bring the Montauk back to the base as quickly as possible. Within moments, the burrowing vehicle shot away from Hammerfest with surprising speed. 

When Slavik finally got back to the base, he had to pause for a moment because he was not sure if it was the same place. Aside from the fierce battle waging, the base itself had...changed somehow. It looked like the attackers had taken over and integrated some sort of organic technology into the already existing structures. More variations of the beasts than Slavik had allowed himself to imagine ran amok throughout the base, mercilessly attacking all of his forces. Several smallish creatures seemed to be collecting tiberium, much like Nod's own harvesters would. It was obvious then that this was not simply some alien zoo, but actually a structured, organized army. And Slavik knew something he would not have dared admit before the fiasco with Cabal. 

...there's no way we can win this... 

A lone soldier-a chameleon spy-approached Slavik hurriedly. "Sir, we've found something unusual." 

Slavik glared at him with mild disbelief. "What is it?" 

"The rift opened by the Chronosphere is still completely intact. During the fighting some of our units slipped through it. One soldier returned to report that there is a similar battle going on at the other side. It seems this new enemy is fighting another unknown species...and at least one unidentified human." 

"A human?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Assemble a team. We will assist those others as we can, and attempt to make contact. Prepare our secondary missile silos as well. They may be our only chance to defeat these things. I'll contact Hammerfest and have them charge the Ion Cannon." 

"Sir!" With that, the spy was off. 

About an hour later, Slavik found himself leading a contingent of Black Hand agents into the heart of what had once been their own primary base. He could hardly believe what had happened. The group almost constantly ran across groups of the bizarre alien creatures, or mutated versions of their own troops. What are they? What kind of leader do they have? How are they able to do all of this in so short a time? He put his questions on hold as they were thrown into another firefight. Within the lower levels of the Tech Center, they ran into more of the serpent-like things that had first come through. Their deadly projectile spines easily pierced several soldiers' armor before the rest managed to take them down. The beasts fell shrieking into piles of ichor-spraying, fractured carapaces. 

Signaling silently, Slavik ordered the team to split into two smaller groups. His team headed deeper into the facility while the others would provide distractions. Hopefully they would draw the main forces away from the Chronosphere. Unfortunately, he knew that was not likely to be the case. Finally, after quite some time, and the loss of a large percentage of his team, Slavik once again found himself staring at the massive Chronosphere. Next to it, the glowing, wavy portal that had open was as large as ever, if not larger. A decidedly large rumbling caught Slavik by surprise, but not nearly as much as the massive, tusked, tank-like creature that burst through one of the walls, smashing consoles and other devices. But the rift stayed open. The beast was followed by a small group of devil's tongue flame tanks, spewing fire in short streams. 

Slavik and his men opened fire, and after a sustained effort, the monster fell. With a slight boost in confidence from the addition of the tanks, Slavik ordered all of his team into the rift. In the name of Kane. 

* * * 

Just when Alex thought things couldn't possibly get any weirder, something actually came out of the rift. Several odd-looking, flame-spewing tanks emerged, followed by a number of what could only have been armored humans. Humans? Where does that thing lead? More confused than ever, Alex slaughtered his way through yet another wave of Zerg, past the dwindling Protoss forces towards the newcomers. Two seemed ready to shoot him immediately, but were halted by a command from who must have been the leader. 

"Who are you?" Alex shouted over the chaos. 

"My name is Anton Slavik," the leader called back, "Leader of the Brotherhood of Nod! Where are we?" 

"You're on a planet called Umoja. Unfortunately, we're under attack by an evil race called the Zerg," he ducked a mutalisk's attack and fried the thing with a psi-wave. "The grayish ones are called Protoss. They're good guys." 

"Those Zerg destroyed my primary base back on Earth." 

"Earth?! Did you just say you're from Earth?" disbelief flooded his voice. Slavik nodded affirmative as he blasted a few zerglings. 

Before either could continue, a new cry rang up from the south. The Zerg swarms started to retreat, and then turned on each other. Alex turned to Arathes, "What's going on?" 

"The Cerebrate must have been killed! The Zerg are no longer under its control!" Then a shadow of resentment fell across the alien's mind. "It's the Dark Templar. They've come." 

Alex had heard about the Protoss outcasts. Yet he felt no malice or negative feeling of any sort from those nearby; only a need to help Aiur, and a desire for lost unity. The out-of-control waves of Zerg were rapidly approaching. 

"Quickly, into the rift!" Slavik shouted to his men. Knowing it was their best chance, Alex and Arathes followed. 


	8. No Title

I'm not entirely sure how much is left (I tend to let things flow and grow on their own, within certain limits), but I know we JRoddin Normal JRoddin 2 40 2001-11-07T13:35:00Z 2001-11-07T13:35:00Z 1 766 4368 36 10 5124 10.2625 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} 

I'm not entirely sure how much is left (I tend to let things flow and grow on their own, within certain limits), but I know we're closing in on the end...which will only be a beginning to something far more devious.  (For those who read Dark Vengeance-if you thought I screwed with things then, you ain't seen nothing.  For those who haven't-shame on you. =-P )

                If Alex thought that following Slavik through the rift would lead to a better situation, he was only marginally right.  Zerg forces surrounded the group, locked in combat with this new group of humans, and their unusual weapons.  While the Zerg numbers were not quite as extreme as on Umoja, the odds were still well stacked against the humans.  Despite this, Slavik seemed confident that they could defeat the menace.  The group fought their way through the structure, which Alex realized was mostly subterranean, and a mere part of a much larger base.  Much of the base had been infested, so Alex realized that a queen must have gotten through to Earth.  

                Alex and Arathes followed the Nod troops to a fortified area, well outside of the main base.  Once there, Slavik seemed to calm a bit, so Alex took the moment to speak with him.

                "What has become of Earth since the colonists' absence?"

                Slavik turned, as if realizing for the first time that Alex had followed them.  "Colonists?  Oh, right.  There are too many details to explain now, but we're not from the same universes.  We found a machine that allowed for temporal and spatial travel, and managed to put the two to their extremes, opening a rift to your universe.  Something seems to be holding the rift open, allowing those things to keep coming."

                "The beasts are of a race called Zerg," Arathes spoke up.  "They infest and consume everything in their path, adapting a species' strength as they destroy it."

                "So anything that could benefit them, make them more dangerous, they adopt as part of themselves?" Slavik's voice took on a concerned edge.

                "Yes," the Protoss replied.

                "Damn!"  The Nod leader ran to the nearest communications station.  "Establish a link to the missile silos!"  The officer promptly complied.  "Abort launch of chemical missiles!  Abort tiberium missile launch now!!"

                A hesitant voice came back.  "Too late, sir…"

                Eyes widening in a combination of horror and rage, Slavik ordered the comm officer to bring up a tactical view of the battlefield.  He watched helplessly as the first of the missiles-a powerful multi-missile-reached it's target.  The main projectile broke into smaller pieces which rained death upon all in the vicinity.  An ion cannon strike decimated the construction yard, leaving it a smoldering shell.  Then the chemical missiles came.  As the onslaught ensued, massive clouds of tiberium gas flooded the battlefield.  The remaining Nod soldiers were painfully ripped down and melted into tiberium-based visceroids.  The creatures went about the systematic destruction of everything in their path.  

                As the gas cleared, Slavik hoped to see only the visceroids-though he could not believe such a thought would occur to him.  However, the nightmare he feared had come true.  Between the tiberium deposits leftover from the destruction of the base's refineries, and the effects of the gas, something horrible had happened.  What Zerg forces remained after the decisive blow had been changed.  Several, from zerglings to mutalisks, to even the powerful ultralisks, had tiberium crystals growing from their exoskeletons.  In addition, those present watched the creation of an entirely new species.  It was similar in form to what could be imagined as a cross between a visceroids and a tiberium floater-only several times larger than either.  Several chitinous limbs extended from the main body, each ending in obviously deadly claws or spear-tips.  On the underside, surrounded by a mass of tentacles was a horrid mouth, filled with more teeth than could be counted in even a close examination.  

                The new tiberium-Zerg hybrids let out a shrill cry that chilled even the most seasoned veterans watching.  Some moved to return to the tech center, probably to return the genetic information to their leader, some to the recently-added, biological structures to prepare for more immediate reproduction of such units.

                "We're screwed," breathed the comm officer.

                Nobody disagreed.  

                The new hoard came on.

(On that fairly bizarre note, I'd like to comment that I'll soon be taking a break from FFN writing to favor another, bigger project.  I will finish Fateful Discoveries, though it may be a bit slow in coming, and the rest of the series and any other fics I had planned are on hold for now.  When this new Project is done, expect to see the sequel to Dark Vengeance, currently called Dark Renewal, as well as at least 3 more installments in the Fateful Discoveries series, a fic of a possible ending for the New Jedi Order, and my usual craziness over in "Rantings…"  and hopefully this new project will help me grow as a writer, allowing me to present, bigger, better, and even more insane fics than I already have!  Beware!  =-)

-SykoBeevr, 10/30/01


	9. No Title

The planet Char hung in space like an incinerated, discarded hunk of waste. The inhospitable surface could not support much life, and not many being of the space-faring races were willing to try. And yet, upon closer examination, it seemed as if the planet itself was alive, pulsating and squirming. The creep generated from numerous Zerg structures had spread itself across the entirety of the planet long ago. For a short time, after the Overmind died, the swarms that infested the planet turned on each other. Since then, the atmosphere almost always held a residual scent of decay.  
  
Despite the condition of the planet, the being once known as Sarah Kerrigan made her way to the planet's primary Hive, where she kept her private chambers. She passed numerous drones and larvae as she entered the living structure. Any normal human-her former species-would have been disgusted at the mere sight of the Hive and its surrounding minions and structures. But now she led the Zerg on their quest for domination, so she was above such petty things. This was home. And she had quite a few distressing things to brood over.  
  
Not long before, she had learned of the bizarre events on Umoja through a psionic message from her Cerebrate there. Fortunately, the Cerebrate had managed to hold open the unusual rift they had discovered. It communicated the tactic to her immediately upon contact. Since then she had been working on a method of opening new rifts at will. It was disturbing to discover that the rift led to Earth. Was it truly the Earth that the blasted UED called home? Or was it in fact an alternate? The latter seemed to be true from the news that her minions there had assimilated aspects of an odd mineral. She recalled no such mineral ever being mentioned as being found on the Earth that the Terran colonists were from.  
  
While new abilities for the Zerg, even an entirely new class of warrior, was certainly good news, the idea of still more militant humans having access to this sector was very distressing. If she did not move quickly, it was possible, however remotely, that the humans could thwart her campaign. Perhaps it was time for her to take a more active role.  
  
* * *  
  
Had he not been sitting there, witnessing and taking part in the activities before him, Slavik would have hardly believed it. As it was, the council he sat on was incredible, nonetheless. He and a few of his top commanders sat alongside Alex Soth, and his Protoss friend Arathes. Surprising everyone knowledgable of such things, Arathes had identified him as the current leader of the Dark Templar. He had apparently remained secretly in the main Protoss society to find a way to once again merge the two factions. Other representatives of the Protoss Conclave were present, as well as the rest of the current leadership of the Dark Templar sect. Finally, Emperor Arcturus Mengsk and his entourage took their seats at the large round table. Mengsk's chair was more throne-like than anything else. Then again, the meeting was taking place on the Dominion capitol world of Korhal.  
  
The large, mostly-stone room was lavishly decorated, yet Mengsk insisted that it was his "war room." He's no soldier, Slavik thought to himself, he's a politician. Alex chuckled lightly. Slavik glared at him, realizing the man had been reading his thoughts.  
  
"Sorry. Bad habit. I tend to forget that most humans aren't psionic nowadays."  
  
"Try to keep it in mind a bit better from now on."  
  
"Gentlemen, please," the Terran Emperor spoke up, "Are we not here to discuss an alliance between all of our great armies?"  
  
"Listen to me very carefully, Mengsk," Slavik rose, barely controlling his anger, "I am not one of your subjects, and I don't appreciate your attitude. I will not tolerate any political wastes of time. We are not here for diplomacy, we are here to decide how best to fight. This is the second time in the last year that the Brotherhood has been forced to seek outside help, but we do so only because it is absolutely necessary. I will not hesitate to kill you if you insist on coddling us like children."  
  
"I have been briefed on your recent history, Anton, and I fully understand your predicament," Mengsk's voice took on a hard edge, "But as long as you are in my territory, you will treat me with the respect I deserve! I rule here."  
  
"I serve Kane, no other."  
  
"Yes, but as I hear it your precious Kane is dead." At this, Slavik's rose to his side, hands moving for their weapons.  
  
"You know our recent history," the menace in Slavik's voice was practically palpable, "Then you also know that GDI, our last ally, has been all but wiped out. I could order your death and have it carried out so quickly, you would never even hear about the command. We will work together, with the Protoss, for now, but once this is done, we will seek vengeance for our treatment today. I will not forget this."  
  
* * *  
  
The meeting went on for several ours, punctuated by frequent outbursts of built tension between the Brotherhood and the Dominion. The biggest surprise came with the sudden entrance of a group of mutants. Claiming to be the only blood relative of their dead leader Tratos, the head of the group demanded to be included in the discussion. Slavik protested strongly, arguing that the shiners would have nothing to contribute to the overall war effort.  
  
In the end, the representative from the Conclave spoke up and allowed them to stay. The Nod soldiers brooded from then on, angered at the inclusion of an old enemy in addition to their new rivals in the Dominion. Then again, Slavik had to wonder how the mutants had even reached Dominion space. How could they have opened a rift if they did not have the Chronosphere technology? With little progress made, all sides agreed to postpone the talks until a few days later.  
  
At that point, Slavik and his men walked through a recently constructed city on their way to their temporary quarters. He was still a bit surprised to see the residual effects of the nuclear devastation the planet had suffered. Still, he was wary of Mengsk's forces. The man was obviously not entirely stable.  
  
"Hey!" Alex shouted as he ran to catch up to the Nod troops. Slavik stopped and turned, waiting.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked when the psionic man caught up.  
  
"Just to talk. I thought maybe we could reach a better understanding than in there. So what's between you and those mutants, anyway?"  
  
"Some of our forces killed the shiners' leader. Besides, they're expendable. They are merely the beginning of tiberium's true potential."  
  
"Well aren't you nice," Alex deadpanned. His Protoss friends had always said his sense of humor was "intriguing". As if they knew what humor was in the first place, he laughed to himself.  
  
"Unless you have something important to say, I have something important to take care of." Slavik was visibly irritated. Then again, when had he not been since Alex met him?  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
Slavik turned to glare at him briefly. "Something has to be done about Mengsk. He's a fool, and is likely to cost us this war."  
  
"A man doesn't become Emperor of an entire sector by being foolish," Alex pointed out.  
  
"Perhaps, but he has become complacent in his rule, that much is clear. It is obvious your people were never any match for the Protoss or the Zerg, so he focused merely on attaining power over those he knew he could control. When faced with a proper opponent, his power will crumble very rapidly."  
  
With that last statement, Anton Slavik left Alex alone in the streets as he continued off on his business.  
  
* * *  
  
Hesitantly, Etris, the mutant representative on Korhal approached the leader of the Dark Templar faction. Walking up behind the alien on the scarred streets of Korhal's largest city, the mutant entourage tried not to show their anxiety. "Excuse me," Etris started.  
  
"Yes?" the deep voice spoke into his mind.  
  
"I am Etris, current leader of the Forgotten of Earth. Well, the Earth not from your universe, that is."  
  
"I am Arathes. I lead the Dark Templar. How may I assist you, my friend?"  
  
"As we understand it from information we have gathered, the Zerg cerebrates, when killed, can be reincarnated?"  
  
"This is sadly true. Destroying them can be a severely difficult task."  
  
"But they also say that you Dark Templar can kill them permanently, preventing their return."  
  
"This is also true. Why do you mention this?"  
  
"We have learned the location of the cerebrate stationed on our Earth. I just received word that our people in the area have assembled a strike team and are prepared to attack. If you could loan us a few of your warriors, we could kill the thing and greatly weaken the Zerg forces on our world."  
  
The tall, gray-skinned alien paused to think for several moments. Etris was prepared to make an argument to convince him, but held back, not wishing to rush or irritate him. Finally, Arathes nodded and looked directly at him.  
  
"I will go myself, and bring my top warriors. We must free your world."  
  
Etris sighed with relief. "Thank you so much, my friend. We are forever in you debt."  
  
"There is one matter, though," the Protoss continued, "How are we to get to your Earth? The only ones with the technological ability to travel between our dimensions are the Brotherhood of Nod."  
  
"While I did not mention this in the meeting, something odd has happened, which facilitated my decision to request your help. While we were scouting the area where the cerebrate was reported to be, a rift opened in front of us, and Zerg forces came through. We slipped by them and entered. For some reason we found ourselves on this world, and recognized the Nod infantry present, which is how we found out about the meeting. We believe the Zerg may have captured the original Chronosphere the blunts found and adapted it to fit with their abilities."  
  
"If this is true, we are all in grave danger. We must move immediately to defeat the cerebrate. There is no time to waste. Is the rift still open?"  
  
"I believe so."  
  
"Good. Gather your people. We must go now." 


	10. No Title

As the mutant contingent on Korhal, accompanied by a band of Dark Templar warriors, approached the still-open rift, yet one more question arose.  
  
"If the rift you entered was created by the Zerg, then why did it lead you here?" Arathes wondered aloud.  
  
"I have thought the same thing," Etris replied nervously. "Do you think it is possible that the Zerg could have infiltrated this place?"  
  
"I do not see how," Arathes commented, shaking his head, "if for no other reason than the fact that we would have sensed them. I have nowhere near the confidence in the Dominion's military to believe they could thwart such an attempt, but there is no way they could hide from us."  
  
"But it does seem the only likely answer," Etris continued, "After all, why would a rift alter its path?"  
  
"I do not know." the alien was clearly uneasy. "We should go now. Your world desperately needs our help."  
  
* * *  
  
Brought together once again, the delegates met in a new chamber in Mengsk's headquarters. Not quite as large as his "war room", the walls were nonetheless adorned with numerous screens showing views from various security emplacements. Slavik looked suspiciously at the several cameras placed on the walls. At least Mengsk was sensible enough to take precautions. Not that it mattered.  
  
"Where are your Dark Templar?" the emperor asked the Conclave representative.  
  
"You insult me. We have nothing to do with those heretics. They may do as they please, we are better off without them."  
  
"Also true with the shiners," Slavik commented, noting the mutants' absence.  
  
"Very well. Let's continue."  
  
For the next several hours, the uneasy allies discussed troop placement, policies of engagement, ways to identify strategic targets, weaknesses in the enemy dispersal, and numerous other things. Slavik and his men absorbed the notes of the others, being less experienced with fighting the Zerg. They also subtly pushed on certain issues which they knew would irritate their companions. Bit by bit, they manipulated, creating a tension that had to break at some point.  
  
Reaching under the large, round table, Slavik secretly keyed a signal to his men stationed outside.  
  
"If you had half as much power as those Dark Templar," Mengsk was saying, "This war would be over already!"  
  
The Conclave representative glared. If you rebels had not upset the balance in your sector, we could have dealt with it quietly. Your Confederacy was much more useful!"  
  
"How dare you speak to me like that!" they were yelling now.  
  
In the building argument, Slavik sat calmly. None of the others noticed the cameras' power lights going out. None noticed the security screens blinking off one by one. Slavik checked his watch. By now, Mengsk's key guards outside would have been quietly dealt with by his own Black Hand agents. The elite killers would be positioning themselves throughout the building, and in several other key locations. His men in the room became tense, prepared to jump into action. Slowly, relaxed, Slavik reached his hand down to the butt of his pistol. One glance to either side was all it took.  
  
"Mengsk!" he shouted as he rose, pointing his pistol at the emperor's head. His soldiers shot up, raised their rifles and quickly dispatched the Dominion marines before anyone cold react. As their blood dripped down the walls, the Nod soldiers turned their attention to the Protoss.  
  
"We won't harm you," Slavik told them, "Unless you force us to. I only want Mengsk. We can resume business after this is dealt with."  
  
"You'll never get away with this," Mengsk warned. Slavik barely smiled. "Guards!" the emperor shouted, a hint of terror in his voice. At his call, a trio of Nod soldiers entered. "What is this?!"  
  
"We have already disposed of your personal guards. All others will be given the choice to join us or die. We've taken over your key facilities. You can't stop us."  
  
"Don't be so sure." Mengsk hit a hidden key on the table and quickly began speaking. "Alpha squadron alert, scenario Omega!"  
  
Scowling, Slavik did not hesitate to shoot him in the head. The deposed emperor dropped to the floor. Before he hit, the building shook violently. Slavik turned to one of his men.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
The soldier paused a moment, listening to his comm unit. "A squadron of Dominion Wraith fighters has begun assaulting the building. Several Battlecruisers have also joined in the attack."  
  
"Send a chrono unit back to base," Slavik ordered, "tell them to start up the Chronosphere and send in three squadrons of Banshees and the Hand of Kane."  
  
"Sir." The soldier saluted and was off.  
  
"I suggest," Slavik turned to the Conclave members, "That we continue somewhere else. If those Dominion fools succeed in destroying us, both of our races will die at the hand of the Zerg."  
  
"Agreed," one of the Protoss nodded, "But we will not join your fight against the Dominion."  
  
"I never asked you to," Slavik snarled, "Do not underestimate Nod. We will destroy them quickly enough."  
  
* * *  
  
After dodging a troop of Zerg creatures that came through the rift shortly after the strike team, Etris led Arathes and the others to a small encampment several miles from the rift point. There they met up with a mutant commander and began to plan in their main temporary structure.  
  
"How do you hope to strike at the Zerg," Arathes began the session, "with such a meager amount of troops? They will overwhelm us in moments."  
  
"We have some surprises."  
  
Etris signaled the troops and the result clearly surprised the aliens. Several dozen subterranean APCs filled with troops surfaced. Sections of nearby cliffs opened up, revealing various ground assault vehicles, including two squads of Mammoth tanks. Hidden helipads opened up from the ground, each housing a somewhat outdated but still effective Harpy. "Is this enough?" Etris smiled proudly.  
  
"I fear it may not be," Arathes sobered him quickly, "But it is a start. After all, we need not destroy them all. Your forces must create a diversion so that my people can get to the Cerebrate and destroy it."  
  
"Then that's what we'll do, regardless of the cost."  
  
* * *  
  
The head Conclave representative on Korhal dodged debris as he followed his comrades and the Nod soldiers out of Mengsk's former base of operations. They quickly made their way to an outpost Nod had set up upon their first arrival on the world. Unexpectedly, one attacking Wraith pilot spotted them and soared in, weapons blazing. Nod soldiers turned and opened ineffective return fire as he others attempted to dodge the blasts. One Protoss zealot guard was struck down. One the fighter's next pass, the pilot shot out a section of the wall of a building the contingent was next to. A zealot pushed the representative out of the way, into an isolated alley.  
  
As the section of wall crushed the guard, the representative knew he would be trapped until his people could dig through the wreckage. He suddenly sensed something behind him. He spun to see Kerrigan, the Zerg leader, as well as another form, wrapped in shadow.  
  
"Kerrigan! What are you doing here?"  
  
"I need to speak with you, Judicator. Here we see the humans fighting amongst themselves. Do you really think allying yourself with them will better your chances against us?"  
  
"The others of the Conclave seem to think so."  
  
"But you do not, correct?" She saw that she was right. "I am willing to sacrifice a pawn to allow you a favor. Feel free to destroy my forces on the alternate Earth."  
  
"Why would you do this?" he asked skeptically.  
  
"I have all I need from that world. It serves no further use for me. My forces can always be replaced."  
  
As the Judicator contemplated the turn of events, one of his guards managed to break through the rubble. He turned to look for Kerrigan, only to find that she had fled into the deeper shadows. Somewhat confused, but knowing what he had to do, he ordered his guards to escort him back to where their shuttle had landed. He would take the Zerg Queen up on her offer.  
  
In the shadows of the alley, Kerrigan's companion, forgotten in the tumultuous events, turned to her questioningly. "Are you sure that was the right thing to do at this time?"  
  
"Calm down," she soothed, "I know what I am doing. Your time will come, Alex."  
  
  
  
  
  
Next: The battles for Korhal and Earth! Nod introduces a new weapon, Etris and Arathes battle the Zerg, and the Protoss Conclave makes a fateful decision as the story concludes in a last chapter and epilogue that you'll probably hate me for! =-) 


	11. No Title

Once back on his ship in orbit over Korhal, the Judicator immediately retreated to his quarters and sent a communiqué to the newly-reformed Conclave requesting a remote hearing. Calmly he sat waiting, not a doubt in his mind that what he was to attempt was the right thing. He knew he would face a great amount of protest from his fellows, but deep down he knew that his was the only solution. Certainly, it would be regrettable, but it was most necessary.  
  
Some hours later, his communications terminal beeped a signal of an incoming transmission. When he accepted, he was confronted with not the usual one face, but with the visages of the entire Conclave. If it were possible, he would have smiled. It was time.  
  
"Fellow Judicators, I have a proposition that is vital to the survival of our race."  
  
* * *  
  
Etris, accompanied by a small band of mutants and several Dark Templar, crouched on top of a ridge overlooking the primary Zerg Hive on Earth. Deep in the central area of the pulsating, living complex sat the massive, worm-like insectoid. Etris stared in awe for a moment, having never seen what the Zerg passed off for a base. There was a large number of drones actually collecting tiberium instead of the minerals native to their home universe. Several rifts opened and drones came through with an accompaniment of militant creatures. Each drone carried an organic package holding what he recognized from Arathes' briefing as Vespene gas. Various Zerg structures littered the area, all sitting atop the pulsating, expanding creep. Fortunately-at least he thought so-the Zerg had not yet matured their central structure into a Hive. It seemed that all of their most powerful units were coming in through the rifts. At this point, the defenders had come to the assumption that the Zerg leader-Kerrigan, Arathes said her name was-had somehow discovered a way to open rifts of her own accord, and passed that ability on to her Cerebrates.  
  
"Arathes," he said into the radio link, "Are you in place?"  
  
"Confirmed," the alien said from the other side of the Zerg compound. After the two teams were in place, Etris was to signal the attack force. During the chaos, the two strike teams were going to move in from opposite sides to increase their chances of at least one of the Dark Templar reaching the Cerebrate. Finally, the two teams were where they needed to be. Etris knew what he needed to do. Switching to the frequency used by the bulk of his force, he issued the simple command. "Go!"  
  
A torrent of sound suddenly accompanied the noise from the Zerg base. Numerous tanks, many of them Mammoths, lumbered along the ground, infantry charged, and Harpies surged overhead. A few borrowed Protoss forces joined in the advance, including deadly Reavers and a fair sized force of Dragoons. An alarm went up within the Zerg base as the tanks began shelling the fringes. Harpies darted between firing spore colonies, harassing ground forces. The Reaver group launched their explosive scarabs at the spore colonies while a group of scouts attempted to knock out the ground-based sunken colonies.  
  
Once the Zerg had fully thrown themselves into the fray, Etris ordered his group to move out. They scrambled down the ridge and into the middle of a fierce battle. Some tick tanks stolen from an old Nod base had run into a trio of Ultralisks. The massively tusked creatures were tearing into the dug-in vehicles. A pair of Mammoths opened up on the Ultralisks and Etris' mutants added their near-insignificant rifle fire if only to boost their own confidence. Confused by the barrage from all sides, the Ultralisks fell in a bloody heap.  
  
From both sides, the strike teams dashed on to the creep, blasting through zerglings and hydralisks, dodging bombardment from mutalisks and guardians, and altogether avoiding more ultralisks. Several of Etris' men fell from surprise attacks launched by burrowed Zerg forces. A group of hydralisks burst up through the creep, immediately launching their deadly spines. The mutants fell so quickly, Etris hardly realized it had happened. He launched himself in a mad dash towards the Cerebrate, followed by two Dark Templar; the others stayed behind to fight.  
  
Arathes' group had not fared much better. Already the diversion force was dwindling, and the strike teams were down to half size each. He seriously doubted their ability to complete the mission. Overhead scouts battled with mutalisks, dodging and weaving through scourge swarms. One scout's shields failed under the bombardment. A pair of scourges streaked directly for it. The pilot managed to swerve, but just barely. The scourges plowed into one of the scout's wings, tossing the fighter into an uncontrollable descent.  
  
"Down!" Arathes shouted to his people just before the scout drove itself into a Spire. The explosion decimated the structure, sending bits of flaming debris and organic matter flying in all directions. A nearby sunken colony had just finished with a pair of attack cycles, and the heavily damaged structure drove a tentacle into the ground, only to have it burst up through one of Arathes' warriors. The mutant never knew what hit him. Enraged, Arathes turned aside from his path and, with assistance from two other Dark Templar, drove his psi blade into the sunken colony before it could attack again. The three turned away, leaving a bloody, useless mess. They needed to destroy the Cerebrate. He set his gaze upon it, and his determination grew still greater.  
  
* * *  
  
Safely at the outpost, Slavik watched as the Dominion idiots continued to bombard the capitol building, apparently unaware that their targets had fled. He was increasingly convinced that it was nothing short of miraculous that the Dominion had survived this long. Were all humans in this universe as incompetent as those he'd so thus far? Sighing in disgust, he turned to his comms officer once again.  
  
"What's the status on the Banshee squadrons?"  
  
"The Chronosphere is charging now, sir, they should be arrival any minute."  
  
"And the Hand?"  
  
"Base 2 is reporting that the Chronosphere there should be up and running in about fifteen minutes. The Hand is prepped for launch, and will be arrival not long after the banshees."  
  
"That will leave them open to attack from those two Battlecruisers for a while. Not exactly an ideal situation. Tell Base 2 to cut the time in half or they can expect to be thrown out of the airlocks."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Slavik returned to watching the remote view available in the outpost command station just as one of the Battlecruisers amassed enough power to use its Yamato Cannon. This should be interesting. There was a relatively small glare on the screen as the energy started to focus directly in front of the large ship. The moment it was all condensed, it flew out, barely contained, towards the capitol building. In a brilliant flash, a huge portion of the structure disappeared. A moment later, the outpost shook violently, the somewhat weakened shockwave passing over them. Another moment, and the sound of the explosion, which must have been deafening at the site, reached them. The Wraith fighters strafed the remains of the building a bit more before moving to return to their respective hangars.  
  
Just as they did so, a large rift was opened in mid-air, and swarms of Nod's Banshee fighters boiled out. The first few in range quickly dispatched several Wraiths with no trouble before the other Dominion craft started cloaking.  
  
"Order all pilots to engage multi-frequency scanning." Ever since he first learned about the Dominion's cloaking technology, Slavik had had his technicians working on ways to duplicate, and counter it. As a result, they had quickly installed specialized scanning systems on all of the available Banshees that looked across the entire spectrum, and took several other factors into account. In essence, the cloaked fighters were still all-too visible for Nod's aces. What was more, Nod's disk-shaped craft handled much better in atmosphere than the bulky, oddly designed Wraiths.  
  
The Banshees swept in and out of the Dominion formation, turning, rolling, spinning, and otherwise confusing the Dominion forces with great agility while the Wraiths struggled to keep up. The Banshees began splitting up by wing pairs and systematically blasting the Wraiths out of the sky. Somewhat to Slavik's surprise, more Wraiths rose from the surface, but instead of attacking Nod, turned on their fellow Dominion forces. A smile crept across the Nod leader's otherwise serious features. Victory was at hand. But still, it would take more than those fighters to eliminate the Battlecruisers, and even now the large ships' guns were opening up. While the fighters were agile enough to dodge most of the blasts, the persistent gunners nonetheless managed to wrack up a considerable number of kills in the cloud of ships.  
  
The second cruiser fired its Yamato Cannon into a tight formation of Wraiths and Banshees. They all vanished in one massive explosion. Damn it, where is that-  
  
As if on command, another large rift opened. Through it came Nod's newest weapon, the Hand of Kane. After Kane's second disappearance, Slavik searched some of his personal files. There he found notes on some of the things that his leader had learned from the Tacitus. After reviewing those notes, Slavik had immediately launched a mission to reclaim the crashed Scrin ship from the bumbling hands of GDI. The mission was successful, and Slavik set Nod's top scientists and engineers to work on taking the thing apart and adapting. The result now floated into his view, largely unchanged in design from its original form, but more suited for Nod's purposes. Massive and powerful, beautiful and deadly, the Hand of Kane was, he believed, a match even for the greatest of the Protoss's weapons. Its black-and-red hull was developed from a tiberium base into an alloy stronger than anything previously known. As if its near-invincible shell was not enough protection, Nod's scientists had recently adapted the shield technology from an abandoned Protoss vehicle a scout team had found at an old battle site.  
  
To push the odds even further in Nod's favor, the Hand had a wonderful array of weapons. Numerous gun emplacements all along its hull fired variants of the energy blasts utilized by he Banshees; the blasts were similar, but about fifty times more powerful. They would easily blast a hole through any Dominion or Zerg craft or structure, and would even do severe damage to Protoss shields. In addition, the Hand featured a variant on the chemical missiles. The projectile would launch at amazingly fast speeds, embed itself in its target, and begin burrowing. Cutting through anything in its way, it would wait until it reached the interior of the structure or ship, and then release massive amounts of tiberium gas. If that did not kill everything in sight, the final, massive explosion would.  
  
As the Hand moved into position, the Battlecruisers changed their focus to it instead of the fighters. Taking that opportunity, one squadron made a pass at the second cruiser's engines, obliterating them entirely. The Hand launched a trio of chemical missiles at the crippled cruiser, one straight into the forward decks, the others veering off to either side before impacting. The first began once again to charge its Yamato Cannon. Every gun emplacement on Nod's monstrosity with a clear shot opened fire on the Dominion ship. Several shots tore all the way through the ship, coming out the other end, and all caused considerable damage.  
  
"All fighters pull back!" Slavik ordered.  
  
The fire from the Hand breached the first cruiser's power core and the hammerheaded ship came apart from within at the same moment that the chemical missiles detonated in the other one, shredding most of it. Nod's fighters sped away from the disaster, most of them making it intact. The blast completely blocked out any view of the Hand. The burning wreckage- what relatively little there was left-crashed into the surface, setting off uncountable secondary explosions. When the screens finally cleared, the Hand was there. The perseverance of Nod's true leader lived on in their greatest weapon. Unhurt, it started towards the outpost. It was time they returned home.  
  
* * *  
  
Caught in numerous battles across the span of the Zerg base, Arathes had long since lost contact with Etris, and could only assume that the other strike team had been destroyed. He had with him only two of his Dark Templar brothers. Their situation had grown well past desperate to sheer hopelessness. It was suicide to stay, and it was suicide to leave. He had only one option. Just as he steeled himself to make a last-ditch mad dash for the Cerebrate, something above caught his eye.  
  
Completely unnoticed in the raging conflict, one Protoss Arbiter floated alone in the sky. He could not recall having an Arbiter in his force. What was it doing? He reached out telepathically, and suddenly the horrible truth dawned on him. NO! With his mental cry, the Arbiter pulled back, revealing what it had been hiding. Now plainly seen above the battle was nearly an entire fleet of Protoss ships of the same kind used to attack the Terran colonies Chau Sara and Mar Sara. He could not believe what he was seeing! They were really going to burn this Earth just to destroy one Cerebrate when their best and only hope of truly killing it was no more than thirty yards away!  
  
"We must kill the Cerebrate Now!!!" he called to his brothers over the rising shrieks of he Zerg forces. They ran. The guns powered up. They drew ever closer. He tripped over the corpse of a zergling, but his brothers ran on. They knew what was at stake. He jumped to his feet and sprinted forward. His brothers had reached the Cerebrate and were busily alternating between slashing at it and defending themselves from enraged Zerg. He looked up for an instant. They were really going to fire. He could see the Cerebrate weakening. With a tremendous, wordless battle cry, he leapt forward, and plunged his psi blade into the foul thing's brain, killing it. That instant, the ships above fired. The wave of energy overwhelmed him. He, his brothers, and everything around disintegrated. The ships continued their bombardment, systematically moving to position themselves for greatest destruction.  
  
* * *  
  
Having returned to his own universe aboard the Hand of Kane, Slavik was thoroughly pleased with himself and his men. The Brotherhood was on the rise again. Soon they would be an unstoppable force. A transmission came through to his private quarters from their Antarctic base.  
  
"Yes, what is it?"  
  
"Sir," the officer was panicked, "A Protoss fleet appeared a short time ago and began bombarding the main Zerg base. The base was destroyed, and now they're.Sir, they're destroying everything! The Protoss are wiping out all life on Earth! They will be here any second! We're the last, we." and with a burst of static he was gone. Slavik sat unspeaking. The ship's intercom beeped, undoubtedly his bridge officer reporting the same. Gone. It was all gone. An uncontrollable rage built up in Slavik. The Protoss had destroyed every last base, every last person, every last thing on the planet. Now Nod had nothing. Wrong. Not quite nothing.  
  
Finally, he answered the intercom. "Sir."  
  
"I know," he cut the officer off, "I know. The Earth is gone."  
  
"What do we do now, sir?"  
  
"Take us to the lunar base."  
  
Fortunately, Slavik had had the foresight to begin setting up a small base on the moon. That was some time ago, and it had rapidly become large- one of their most important in fact. It was the base from which the Hand had first launched, and now they would return there. They would return to the last base at their disposal. And yet he was not totally without hope. They did have the seized Dominion bases on Korhal and several other worlds. They would rebuild somewhere. They would survive. But first he had to do something.  
  
As the Hand made its final descent towards the moon base, a small craft, reminiscent of a Banshee, slid in behind it, completely unnoticed. When the Hand moved to enter its hangar space, the small craft broke off, and went to an older, less used area of the compound. There it settled, and its lone passenger disembarked. 


	12. Epilogue

Several weeks had passed, and reports from the alternate universe seemed to indicate that the war had paused for a time. In those weeks, Slavik had his technicians duplicate the lunar base's Chronosphere. He had a more important use for their first. Upon completion of the duplicate, the determined commander ordered that the first be move to a remote area, far from the base. He also insisted that he go along with it, though no one knew why. When the time came, and the device was dropped off, he ordered everyone to return to the base.  
  
Finally alone, he was free to go about his task for the moment. He was going to attempt that which had brought the device into Nod's possession in the first place. He was going to chronoshift the device itself, and go along for the ride. Except unlike its creators, he knew exactly where and when he was headed. He input the coordinates, made sure the temporary power source was charged, and initiated the process. It was a good thing they managed to make it a bit smaller, he thought absently.  
  
  
  
Egypt, 1995. Shortly before the end of the first Tiberium War  
  
Kane sat alone in a massive, subterranean portion of his command center that he kept hidden even from his top lieutenants. Suddenly in front of him appeared a large device, with a hemispherical front, and a long trailing end. Next to it stood a blond young man wearing a uniform identifying him as part of the Black Hand of Nod.  
  
"Who are you?" Kane asked.  
  
"My name is Anton Slavik. I have come from the beginning of the year 2032." With that introduction, Slavik told his story as Kane listened intently, fascinated by the information.  
  
"You have done good work, Slavik. I am glad to see I so wisely chose a commander for my forces. Your gift should prove very useful."  
  
* * *  
  
Some time later, Kane sent Slavik back to the lunar base, and the faithful soldier found himself back in his private room in the base. But he sensed he was not alone. He spun, raising his sidearm, and stopped, immediately snapping to attention.  
  
"Good to see you again, Slavik. I'm glad things have gone accordingly. I was beginning to wonder when you would set out on that particular venture."  
  
  
  
End  
  
  
  
Nothing like a cliffhanger ending, eh? Wanna know what's coming next? I'm going to be working on other things for a while, but here's a little preview for you.  
  
  
  
Coming Whenever I Feel Like It.  
  
FD2: Timeless  
  
The war between universes rages on, and finds its way to the doorstep of the United Earth Directorate! With one Earth destroyed already in the conflict, can another stand strong? Elsewhere and elsewhen, Kane embarks on a journey with his newly acquired Chronosphere. Over the course of his travels, he sees his own future, and meets up with a very familiar figure.  
  
I'm torn on what my next project will be. It will either be the follow up to Dark Vengeance, my Star Wars fic, or the first in a Mega Man X trilogy. (Or maybe something else. You never know.) 


End file.
